Generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) are the standard framework of guidelines for financial accounting used in any given jurisdiction; generally known as accounting standards or standard accounting practice. These include the standards, conventions, and rules that accountants follow in recording and summarizing and in the preparation of financial statements. Many businesses choose to "opt out" of GAAP practices as they operate on a cash basis, as opposed to an accrual basis. A comparison would be the way that most people balance their checkbook when a check is written, its amount is deducted from the total balance even though the funds have not yet left the account. Financial decisions made after the check is written are based on the balance after the check is deducted.